Clothing store caters to Orthodox Jewish, Muslim women

Covered Girl Clothing, located on 235 Raritan Ave., is one of
Highland Park’s latest specialized apparel stores. The
one-month-old shop is designed to help Orthodox Jewish and Muslim
women, as well as other women who want to dress modestly, find
conservative clothing tailored to their religious or personal
needs.

Sharon Garber, the owner of the store, wanted to provide a place
in the community where women and girls of all ages could find
clothing to suit the needs of their religious views.

“I’ve lived in Highland Park for a while, and I’ve known that
people have had to travel all the way to Lakewood or Brooklyn in
order to find stores that sold modest clothing,” she said.
“Traveling all the way there wastes time, gas and money.”

Garber said she was motivated to open the store because there
were not enough conservative clothing places to shop at in Highland
Park.

“I felt that the Jewish Orthodox community has been growing and
that there needed to be a place that catered to that niche group …
as well as any Muslim women or anyone that wanted to dress modestly
for that matter,” she said.

Orthodox Judaism requires women to dress in clothing that covers
all body parts except for the face and hands, Garber said. There
are some differences in modern Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jewish
women.

But neither modern-day Orthodox Jewish women nor ultra-Orthodox
women believe in exposing their body parts besides their face and
hands, she said. Modern orthodox Jewish women sometimes might
expose the bottom part of their legs.

“I’ve been asking customers what they’ve been looking for, and
I’ve been bringing in things, like children’s clothes and smaller
sizes,” Garber said. “I’m trying to adapt to what the community
needs and bring it in, so it’s a win-win for me and the
customer.”

Garber emphasized that her store is community-based.

She said she enjoys seeing her customers chat with one another
as well as with the staff because it creates a friendly atmosphere
that she hopes her customers will appreciate.

Mara Margolin, a resident of Highland Park and a regular
customer, spoke about the convenience of having a store located
close to home.

“I was here three separate times the first day it opened,” she
said. “I’ve lived here for 18 years, and I know that women these
days do not have time to travel to Lakewood or Brooklyn, so it’s
great having a place so close by.”

Margolin, an Orthodox Jew, believes the location could not have
been better as Covered Girl Clothing is surrounded by numerous
other eateries.

“You got your pizza and Chinese food right here, so you eat your
pizza and then get your clothes, or rather you try on your dress
first and then eat your pizza,” she said.

Margolis even invited her sister from out of town to come shop
at the store.

“She has a nice selection of different styles, a wide range of
age ranges and decent prices of modest clothing,” she said. “The
clothing [my sister] Sharon has is also very trendy, so it is easy
to find clothes for younger people as well.”

Sana Naoreen, a Muslim resident who has lived in Highland Park
for the past seven years, called Garber’s business a useful and
convenient option for her.

“As a Muslim woman, I think it’s great that someone in the
community saw the need for a store and opened one up,” she said.
“This is definitely a place I will shop at more often now.”

While the store is only four weeks old, Garber has high hopes
for the future of the business.

“We’re very new, so right now I’m just hoping to get my name out
there and build a steady base of regular customers that will help
my business grow,” she said.